An Uchiha Christmas
by Chucky Ray
Summary: Hey guys! Guess what? I'm back! I apologize that this is so late but I was very ill this winter. Anyway, I can't really remember what this story originally was going to be about since I planned to write it months ago, so I'm just really making it up as I go along. I hope you enjoy it, and sorry that you have to read a Christmas story in April LOL!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One; The True Meaning of Christmas

 _As I said before, I apologize that I am SO behind on my stories but this winter I haven't been very healthy unfortunately. Anyway, after this story I will write some sort of Valentine's Day story, then Saint Patrick's Day/ Easter story, and then I will continue with An Uchiha Warrior The Final Chapter. I hope you still enjoy them and I'm really sorry for the wait. You guys rock!_

"Dashing through the snow, in a one horse open sleigh! Over the hills we go, laughing all the way!" Naruto sung out while he walked down the snowy path with Sasuke at his side. "C'mon Sasuke sing along!" he exclaimed.

"No." Sasuke replied.

"Why not? Where's your Christmas spirit?" Naruto questioned him before he took a deep breath and sighed heavily.

"I hate Christmas." He responded.

"Why? Did Sakura put a lump of coal in your stocking last year or something?" Naruto asked him before his friend suddenly just stopped and then turned over to look at him.

"No. It's because of the fact that everybody always makes such a big fuss over it when all it is is a day to empty out your wallet." He told him.

"But Sasuke, that's not what Christmas is about." Naruto began. "It's about spending time with your family and friends and celebrating the birth of Jesus." He told him.

"I know that's what it's _supposed_ to be about." Sasuke began. "But anymore it's about getting presents." He told him.

"You know what? You're right. I think a lot of people have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. So it's our job to make them remember it. What do you say?" Naruto inquired before wrapping a brotherly arm around his neck.

"I've got a feeling that you're going to make me do it anyway whatever I say so sure. Why not?" Sasuke questioned him back.

"Good! First of all we have to go on a shopping trip." Naruto told him.

"But Naruto I just _came_ from the store. Sakura wanted me to pick up Sasame's and Hiro's Christmas gifts." He told him.

"Really? Why didn't you just drive then?" Naruto wondered.

"I did, but my car broke down." Sasuke told him.

"So you mean to say that you just left it in the middle of the street?" Naruto inquired.

"No,.. it left _me_ in the middle of the street. And I really don't have time to stand here talking to you about it. Sakura is going to be wondering where I am." Sasuke told him.

"Well alright." Naruto began. "How about we make a deal then? I'll go try and see if I can fix your car while you go talk to Sakura." He said.

"Do I look stupid to you?" Sasuke questioned him back.

"Uh,.. well,.. is that a trick question?" Naruto wondered when Sasuke suddenly narrowed his eyebrows and gave him a dirty look as Naruto gave a nervous gulp. "I mean no Sasuke! You don't look stupid at all!" he cried trembling with fright while sweat rolled down his forehead as he shook his hands in front of his face.

"If you weren't my brother I would have killed you a long time ago." Sasuke told him. "Maybe I should just put you up for adoption." He added.

"You can't do that! We're brothers!" Naruto exclaimed. "Besides, you already adopted me remember? We're not biologically related." He pointed out.

"True, but we're brothers by marriage." Sasuke told him. "Look, you aren't touching my car. I can already promise you that. But once I can get it towed away I will go to you with the store if we take yours instead." He said.

"You know, you might find out that I'm an awfully good mechanic if you just gave me a chance." Naruto told him.

"Sorry but that's my final offer. Take it or leave it." Sasuke said.

"Alright fine, I'll take it seeing as that I don't really have a choice." Naruto told him.

"Good. I'm going home to warm up." Sasuke began with a grin before reaching his hand out towards him and giving it a slight wave. "I'll be right back, so try and stay out of trouble." He told him before poking him in the forehead with his glove. Naruto quickly placed both of his hands over his forehead and covered it.

"Ouch! Sasuke! I wish that you would stop doing that!" he cried as Sasuke chuckled. "Why on earth do you do that for anyway?" he questioned him before giving his forehead a rub.

"Because I love you." Sasuke told him.

"Then I guess I wouldn't want to see what you would do to me if you hated me." Naruto said before Sasuke laughed again and shook his head.

"You are such an idiot you know that?" he questioned him before he turned around and walked away.

 _…_ _.._

Sakura hurriedly ran over to the front door to greet her husband while he came inside. "What happened? Where were you?" she questioned him with uncertainty while he stomped his boots on the mat and shook the snow off of it. "I was starting to get worried." She admitted.

"I know, I'm sorry. First my car broke down then I ran into your brother. Or my brother. It's really hard to keep track of who's brother he really is." He told her before removing his hat and scarf as Sakura giggled.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. You two act more like brothers than we do." She told him.

"Of course we do. That's because we're both guys. It would be really hard to act like a brother towards Naruto when you're a girl." He told her with a smirk.

"Ha, ha. Very funny. You know what I meant. So what did he want anyway?" she wondered.

"I'm not really all that sure myself to tell you the truth." Sasuke began. "Something about reminding the world the true meaning of Christmas. Who knows, with Naruto you can never really tell. Right now I want you to take these and hide them while I go call a tow truck." He told her before shoving his grocery bags into her arms.

"Call me crazy, but why didn't you just let Naruto handle it?" she wondered but Sasuke just simply rolled his eyes at her.

"Oh come on! You have _got_ to be kidding me! You too? How much did Naruto pay you to say that?" he wondered.

"Nothing Sasuke. I didn't even know about it until you told me." She replied. "All I know is that he's very good. He fixed mine about a week ago when one of my gaskets blew. It was the head one too. He's very good with his hands you know." She told him.

"He better be. Because he sure isn't good with his mouth." He said as Sakura giggled again.

"Come on Sasuke, just give him a chance. It is Christmas after all and it would make all of his dreams come true." She told him.

"Yeah, and give me nightmares for the rest of my life if he screwed anything up." He began before he took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "But if it will make you feel better, I will. I just hope that for my sake you know what you're talking about." He told her before he wrapped his scarf back around his neck, placed his cap back over his head, and walked back out through the front door into the cold.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two; Brotherly Love

"I can't believe that you talked me into this." Sasuke said while Naruto pulled his car into the parking lot and parked it there.

"Relax Sasuke, we'll just get the things we need at the store and then I'll start working on your car." Naruto told him while taking his foot off the brake and then turning off the engine. Sasuke rolled his eyes while he and Naruto removed their seatbelts.

"If you break it you can start working on your will." He told him.

"Hm! Well that's the perfect attitude to have at Christmas!" Naruto snapped.

"Let's just get this over with." Sasuke said before they both climbed out of the car and slammed their doors tightly shut behind them and locked them tightly. "You still never really told me what we're supposed to be looking for anyway." He pointed out.

"Well, I figured that we could bake some gingerbread cookies for the homeless shelter considering that there are many homeless children there as well. And we could also dress up as Santa Claus and his elf." Naruto told him. "What do you say to that?" he questioned him.

"That depends, do I have a choice?" Sasuke wondered before Naruto quickly shook his head.

"No, not really." He responded.

"Well in that case, count me in." Sasuke told him reluctantly as Naruto grinned.

"Great! Let's go." He told him while quickly looking both ways he darted a crossed the parking lot. Sasuke just simply groaned and rolled his eyes again and then slightly shook his head.

"As long as I live I will never be able to understand how Naruto always has so much energy." He said to himself before he started following him inside the grocery store. As soon as he entered the store Christmas music was blasting in the background and a great enormous Christmas tree greeted him at the door. Sasuke heaved a heavy sigh while he slowly tilted his head back and looked at the bright and shining silver star that sat on top of it and remembered how Itachi would always let him put their own star on top of their tree.

"Hey Sasuke, are you frozen back there or what?" Naruto questioned him before Sasuke quickly turned his head and looked back over at him.

"Sorry. I was just thinking about something." He told him when all of a sudden he heard a rather loud noise and a horrified petrified scream afterwards.

"Huh? That was weird. That sounded like gunshots." Naruto said while he turned his head and listened while Sasuke gave a loud gasp.

"Get down!" he exclaimed before he grabbed ahold of his shoulders and pushed him down onto the floor before sitting beside him behind the Christmas tree.

"Hey! What was that for!?" Naruto cried before Sasuke quickly covered his mouth.

"Shut up you idiot! Do you want to get us both killed!?" Sasuke snapped inside a whisper but Naruto quickly grabbed ahold of his hand and pushed it away.

"What!? Sasuke are you nuts!? We're ninjas and people need our help!" Naruto exclaimed before he quickly leapt to his feet. "And besides, we're trained for this!" he told him.

"Naruto listen to me, I realize that you have a reputation of being the number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja, but even you have to know that you can't possibly go after somebody with a gun." Sasuke told him.

"I have to Sasuke, I'm the hokage and everybody in the village looks up to me and trusts me to protect them." He said.

"Naruto you can't possibly be serious!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"I'm sorry buddy but I don't have any choice. I made a promise to protect the Hidden Leaf Village and I never go back on my word. That's my ninja way." He told him before he turned around and ran away.

"Naruto!" Sasuke hollered feeling his heart pounding frantically against his chest before he leapt to his feet. "Naruto you better get your ass back here." He muttered underneath his breath while he trotted after him. "Otherwise I'm going to kick it all the way to the North Pole and back." However as he skidded to a stop at the end of the aisle he realized that his brother was now out of sight. "Damn it!" he exclaimed.

Meanwhile Naruto had found the crook. "Ah there you are!" he exclaimed as the man in the black hood gasped and slowly turned to face him. "Stop in the name of the law! By order of the seventh hokage!" he cried.

"Huh? Naruto Uzumaki?" the other man questioned him.

"That's right! Your goose is cooked pal!" Naruto snapped.

"You must be out of your mind if you hope to face me and win." The other man said before he pointed his pistol at him and cocked it as Naruto gasped, but before he could react the other man was thrown up against the wall by his throat. Sasuke glared at him angrily with his devilish red sharingan eyes. "You're Sasuke Uchiha." The man gasped.

"That's right. And that's my brother you're pointing that thing at." Sasuke told him before he grabbed ahold of his wrist and turned it three hundred and sixty degrees. The man shrieked out in pain before Sasuke grabbed ahold of his gun and unloaded it before throwing it a crossed the room. "Now I suggest if you don't want me to break anymore bones in your body that you better leave him alone. Otherwise, you'll have one billion bolts of electricity going through your spine." He threatened.

"Yes Sasuke, right away!" the other man squeaked as Sasuke quickly let go of him and watched him run away. Then he quickly turned his head over to look at Naruto and narrowed his eyebrows and glared. "I thought I told you to get down and stay with me!" he hollered.

"I'm sorry Sasuke but_" Naruto began.

"He could have killed you Naruto! What would I have done if I lost you?" he questioned him.

"But Sasuke, you didn't even give me a chance!" Naruto protested.

"Well maybe I had a good reason for that. I already lost one brother remember? And I really didn't want to lose another one. Especially so close to Christmas." Sasuke told him as Naruto breathed a heavy sad sigh and hung his head.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, I guess I didn't think about that." Naruto told him.

"Exactly. You weren't thinking at all. And it could have cost you your life." He said.

"But it didn't!" Naruto cried indignantly. "Don't you have any faith in me at all?" Naruto questioned him while tears poured out of his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. Sasuke took a deep breath.

"You know I do." He told him as he turned and started making his way towards him

"Well you sure don't act like it!" Naruto snapped before leaping a step backwards.

"Look Naruto, I only want to protect you. I don't want to see anything happen to you. You're way too precious to me." Sasuke told him. "But I guess you're right. It's time that I start having more faith in my little brother. I promise that I will forgive you if you promise to forgive me." He explained. "Is that a deal?" he asked him before Naruto hurried towards him and embraced him tightly in a silent response to his question before Sasuke wrapped his arms around him and closed his eyes while he deepened the embrace. "I'll take that as a yes." He said while he smiled warmly at him and leaned his chin down on top of his head.

A few moments later they broke apart. "Come on. We better make sure that the cops find that guy. Then we can get back to our shopping list." He told him before he turned around and started walking away as Naruto gave a slight nod.

"Right!" he replied before a moment of silence fell between them. "Uh Sasuke?" he questioned before his friend stopped and looked over at him.

"What?" he questioned him back.

"Thanks. You know, for coming after me and sticking up for me like that." He told him as Sasuke just simply grinned at him.

"Hm!" he began. "Don't mention it. For nobody threatens my little brother." He told him. "Come here." He said with a slight wave of his hand.

"Uh,.. uh uh." Naruto replied with a shake of his head taking another step back as Sasuke laughed.

"Why not? I won't bite." He told him.

"Well,.. uh,.. you're not going to poke me in the forehead again are you?" Naruto wondered before Sasuke laughed again.

"No I won't. I promise." He assured him as Naruto grinned before stifling a laugh and then darted over to him.

"So what is it then?" he asked him.

"Hold still." Sasuke replied before he hoisted him up into the air and then placed him on top of his back.

"Uh,.. this is awkward." Naruto said quietly while turning his head completely around in different directions.

"Relax. Itachi used to do this to me all the time." Sasuke began while he grabbed ahold of Naruto's legs and started walking away. "The only difference is, that I was probably a lot lighter than you are. You really need to cut back on the ramen." He told him glancing back at him with a smirk. "By the way, you really should be honored that I poke you. Itachi used to do that to me as well. That's how he showed me that he loved me." He explained.

"Wow Sasuke, Itachi meant an awful lot to you didn't he?" Naruto asked him before Sasuke suddenly stopped and breathed a heavy sigh while he stared down at the ground.

"Yeah. He did. The only problem is that I didn't realize it until it was too late. I'm never going to make that same mistake again though. That's why I have vowed to protect you with my life. For you mean as much to me as I did to him. I never knew how much a big brother could have for their little brother until I became one myself." He said before he lifted his head and continued walking down the aisle.

"Yeah me neither. I never really knew what it was like to be a big brother before I found out that I was one to Sakura. That might explain why one of her favorite hobbies was literally beating my face into the ground." He said as Sasuke laughed.

"Well something tells me that you deserved it." He began. "But for what it's worth Naruto, I'm really sorry how I've been acting lately." He told him.

"Really?" Naruto questioned him while widening his eyes at him with utter disbelief and astonishment and then blinking them rapidly.

"Yeah. I shouldn't have been such a miserable old Scrooge." He began with a chuckle. "It is the most wonderful time of the year after all. And I really can't wait until Sakura sees what I'm getting her for Christmas." He told him.

"Really? What are you getting her?" Naruto wondered.

"Tickets to that concert that she's been wanting to go to for ages." Sasuke told him.

"You mean Spirit?" Naruto questioned him with uncertainty.

"Yep! That's one. And I have another surprise in her for as well." Sasuke said.

"Really!? What's that!?" Naruto exclaimed eagerly but Sasuke just simply smirked.

"Sorry, I can't tell you that part." He told him.

"What!? Why not!?" Naruto cried.

"Because then it wouldn't be a surprise anymore. I want to surprise you too with it as well." Sasuke explained before Naruto groaned and scowled before turning his nose up at him.

"Fine. Be like that I don't care." He muttered underneath his breath as Sasuke started laughing again. Naruto might have been a pain, but he still loved him with all of his heart nonetheless.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three; Baking Cookies

 _Thanks for the great review! And yes Sasuke loves Naruto very much. Of course can you really blame him? Naruto might be trouble but he sure is loveable and cute at the same time. Here's the next chapter!_

As soon as Sasuke got home his wife was once again there to greet him at the door. "Hey babe, you came home just in time. Sasame and I were just getting ready to get the tree up." She said. "Where's Naruto at?" she wondered as soon as she realized that he was alone.

"He's out in the garage." Sasuke began. "That loser almost wound up getting us both killed." He told her.

"Oh no,.." Sakura began before breathing a deep and heavy long sigh. "What did he do this time?" she questioned him reluctantly.

"It's a long story I'll tell you later. Right now I have another problem." He began with a sad sigh.

"Really? What?" she wondered.

"I have already bought Christmas presents for everybody except Naruto. I have no idea what to get him." He told her but Sakura just simply waved her hand at him.

"Oh don't worry about him he's easy." She began. "All you have to do is take him out for a bowl of ramen and he's as happy as a clam." She told him.

"I do that every year." He said.

"Exactly. And you never heard him complain have you?" she questioned him with a giggle as Sasuke grinned.

"Yeah, I guess you've got a point there." He began. "But still, I wanted to get him something different this year." He told her.

"Listen to me Sasuke, Naruto loves you. I've seen the way he looks at you and it's like he thinks of you as his hero or something. I'm sure that whatever you give him he's going to love it simply because of the fact that it came from you." She told him.

"Hm." Sasuke began again while continuing to grin at her. "I never did really give you enough credit for your intelligence back when we were on squad seven." He told her before he took a few steps towards her. "And it's about time I did too. Oh and look at just what we happen to be standing under." He told her as she tilted her head backwards and smiled when she realized that they were standing under the mistletoe.

"Oh." She began. "I get it." She said before they both closed their eyes and Sasuke tilted her chin back and placed his hand upon her cheek and leaned into kiss her. That's when suddenly Naruto burst into the room.

"Hey Sasuke I think I found the problem." He told him as Sasuke quickly turned his head and glared at him. "Uh oh,.. am I interrupting something?" he questioned him while blushing and taking a step backwards as Sasuke clenched his teeth together.

"Naruto!" he hollered.

"Sorry, I didn't realize that you guys were kissing in here alright!? Geeze, I just wanted to let you know that I found the problem with your car that's all." He told him as Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"I wish that I could say the same thing about your brain." He told him before he turned back to look at Sakura and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "I'll be right back." He said before he turned around and walked over to him. "You are such an idiot you know that?" he questioned him before he followed him out into the garage. "Alright, you brought me all the way out here so what's the problem. Or rather, what do you _think_ the problem is?" he asked him before Naruto raced over to the front of it and lifted the hood.

"Right here." Naruto began with a cough while he blew away the smoke with his hand. "You had the same problem as Sakura did. Your head gasket blew which caused your engine to overheat, and you didn't have enough oil to start with. When is the last time you got an oil change anyway?" he wondered.

"Probably about six or seven months ago when I last got it washed." Sasuke admitted.

"No wonder why it broke down. That's your problem right there, you're supposed to get it changed every few months." Naruto told him. "So, I figured that you don't really like spending an awful lot of money, I'll do it for you free of charge." He said.

"Really? You would do that for me?" Sasuke questioned while widening his eyes at him.

"Well sure Sasuke you're my brother it's the least I can do. I just have to take this sucker out and replace it with a new one." Naruto told him before hitting the gasket with his wrench causing it to leak out all over his face. Sasuke laughed.

"You really are a hopeless loser you know that?" he questioned him before he handed him a rag.

"Thanks!" Naruto exclaimed with a scowl before using it to wipe his face.

"But, thank you for helping me anyway." Sasuke told him.

"No problem." Naruto said.

"How did you come to learn so much about cars anyway?" Sasuke wondered.

"Eh, what can I say I like to read. Besides, it sure comes in handy since I've had breakdowns myself. That's why I really didn't mind it too much when you asked me to help you push it up the driveway? I've had to do that quite a few times myself." He explained as Sasuke chuckled again and grinned at him.

"So how long do you think it's going to take?" he asked him.

"As soon as I pickup a new gasket for this baby not long at all. You'll be driving it again in no time. But since we just got back, do you mind if we bake our cookies first?" he asked.

"Uh,.. I'm not sure if_" Sasuke began.

"Great, I'll go ahead and meet you in the kitchen!" Naruto exclaimed before he quickly hurried back inside and slammed the door behind him.

"That guy just doesn't take no for an answer." Sasuke said with a simple shake of his head before he turned around and walked back inside.

 _….._

"Hey Uncle Naruto what are you doing?" Sasame asked him as she walked into the kitchen.

"I'm baking cookies." He told her.

"Ooh!" she exclaimed excitedly while widening her eyes.

"Now don't be getting any ideas, these cookies aren't for you." He told her.

"Oh. Then who are they for?" she inquired.

"They're for the kids down at the homeless shelter." He told her. "Now where's your father I need his help." He told her.

"He's in the bathroom. I can help you instead if you want me to. I don't think he really wants to help out anyway." She told him but Naruto just simply eyed her suspiciously and placed his hands upon his hips.

"Hmph! What do I look like to you an idiot!? Sorry sis but there's absolutely no way that you can pull the wool over my eyes! You don't want to help bake the cookies, you really want to eat them don't you?" he questioned her.

"No that's not true Uncle Naruto, I swear it isn't!" she exclaimed. "I really _do_ want to help you!" she cried indignantly. "I help my mother all the time in the kitchen and I really like doing it. Besides, I think it's great that you want to help all of the kids out at the homeless shelter. Isn't that what Christmas is all about anyway?" she questioned him when suddenly he smiled warmly and affectionately at her.

"You bet it is." He told her. "I'm sorry for snapping at you Sasame. It looks like you know the true meaning of Christmas after all." He told her when all of a sudden her face lit up with excitement.

"Does that mean that I can help after all!?" she questioned him eagerly.

"You sure can, and maybe you can also do me another favor." He began.

"Sure, what is it?" she asked while she washed her hands as they both heard the toilet flush down the hallway.

"Well our church is putting on its annual Nativity. Your parents already agreed to play Mary and Joseph, so I was wondering if you wanted to play the angel and if I could use one of your old baby dolls for the baby Jesus." He told her.

"Yeah, sure!" she exclaimed excitedly before Sasuke entered the kitchen.

"What's going on here?" he wondered before catching a glimpse of the Santa hit sitting on top of Naruto's head. "What is this Mrs. Claus' kitchen?"

"Hey guess what Sasuke good news, you've been reprieved. You don't have to bake cookies after all because your daughter volunteered to do it instead." He told him.

"Oh." Sasuke replied before slowly hanging his head. "Well good, I'm glad." He said.

"What's the matter Papa? You seem a bit upset." Sasame observed.

"Yeah what's up Sasuke I thought you hated doing things with me." Naruto said.

"I don't. I lied. I was actually looking forward to baking cookies with you." Sasuke told him.

"Huh?" Naruto questioned while widening his eyes at him. "Then why did you make it seem like you weren't?" he wondered but Sasuke simply shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess I was just embarrassed to admit the truth." He told him.

"You should _never_ be embarrassed to admit the truth." Sasame began. "Remember what Mother has always taught us? We should always tell the truth no matter what because honesty is always the best policy." She told him.

"That's right Sasuke listen to the wise words of your daughter. You and Sakura really have done a good job with raising her. She's got a good head on her shoulders and at such a young age too." Naruto said before Sasame placed her hands upon her hips.

"Hey! I'm not that young you know! After all I'm not a child anymore! In another few years I'll be driving." She told him.

"Whoa wait a minute." Sasuke began. "You've still got a little more than a few years to go, but you're right. You aren't a child anymore and you're developing into a rather fine and beautiful young lady." He told her with a grin as she smiled back at him. "I'll leave you guys alone to bake now." He said before he started to turn around.

"Hey wait Sasuke where are you going? I thought you said that you wanted to help." Naruto said.

"Nah, that's alright. I'll let you guys spend some time together. I'll go help Sakura and Hiro decorate the tree instead." He told him.

"Well alright, but we could always use an extra couple of hands if you change your mind." Naruto told him as Sasame went to get the eggs out of the refrigerator while Naruto read the recipe silently to himself and then went to the cupboard to get out the cinnamon.

"Hey Sasuke how's it going in there?" Sakura asked him while hanging the ornament of Sasame's first Christmas up onto one of the tree's branches.

"Sasame's helping Naruto so I decided to help you instead." He explained.

"Well thanks but I don't really need an awful lot of help." She told him.

"Even though I was sort of looking forward to spending time with Naruto, there is a silver lining here." He began.

"Oh really? What's that?" she asked him as Sasuke simply just grinned at her.

"I finally know what I'm going to get Naruto for Christmas, and I honestly can't think of a better present." He told her.

 _Well that's it for this chapter! I'm glad that you guys are able to read a Christmas story in the springtime LOL! I'm really sorry for such a long wait but yeah, I haven't been in perfect health the past few months. I have a few more Christmas stories that I'm behind on, but as soon as I'm finished with this story I will try to think of a very good Valentine's Day story for Naruto, Sasuke, and their wives._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four; Gone

"Really? What are you going to get him?" Sakura wondered.

"I'll tell you later. Right now I'm going to go bundle up and go outside and smoke a cigarette." He told her as he started walking away but little Hiro raced after him.

"Wait Daddy!" he cried as Sasuke glanced over at him and smiled as he reached his little arms up towards him. "Up! Up!" he exclaimed.

"What? Don't you want to help Mommy decorate the Christmas tree for Santa Claus?" he questioned him.

"Up!" the little boy repeated before Sasuke finally decided to give in and hoisted him up inside his arms. "Tell you what, do you want to go play out in the snow and build a snowman?" he asked him.

"Do you want to build a snowman? Come on let's go and play,.." Sakura sung as Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Ha, ha very funny. But you seriously don't know how many times I've heard that song. Our daughter is literally obsessed with that movie." He said before he gently kissed the top of his son's head. "Come on Hiro, let's get you all bundled up." He told him before he turned around and carried him down the hallway.

 _…_

"Alright so the cookies are baking in the oven." Naruto began as he walked into the living room and looked over at Sakura. "Huh?" he questioned while he looked around the room. "Say, where's Sasuke and Hiro?" he wondered.

"They're outside playing. I promised them that as soon as they came back inside I would make them some hot coco." She replied while smiling warmly at him before all of a sudden both of the boys came through the door.

"I'm not sure whether or not it's my imagination but it seems like we brought more snow inside with us then we left outside." Sasuke said while he stomped and shook the snow off his boots.

"Hey Sasuke, as soon as you and Hiro have your coco do you want to go to the store with me? I figured that I would go pick up a new gasket for you and then we can go to the mall and put on our Santa Claus and elf costumes." He said.

"No, not tonight Naruto. It's getting way too late. Pretty soon we'll have supper and then Sakura and I got to put the kids to bed. That means that you will have to get lost so Sakura and I can have some time to ourselves. As in completely alone." He told him while he removed his hat and gloves and then bent down to remove his son's scarf and hat.

"Well,.. alright." Naruto began. "Maybe I'll just go to the store by myself, and then we both can go to the mall tomorrow together." He said.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. I heard on the news that the roads are pretty bad." Sasuke told him.

"It's alright Sasuke I'll be fine. It's only a ten-minute drive anyway." Naruto reassured him.

"Well,.. alright. Just promise me that you'll be careful." He said while he finished removing Hiro's coat and gloves and then started untying his boots.

"I will." Naruto told him with a nod. "I'll see you in a little bit." He said before he turned around and after snatching his car keys off of the coffee table.

"Love you and be careful of the dog on your way out." Sasuke told him as Taki entered the room.

"Oh no you don't, you're staying here with them." Naruto told him before quickly hurrying out the door before the German Shepherd mix laid down with his head upon his paws.

Sakura giggled. "I don't think that Taki really wants to go anywhere anyway. Now that he's gotten older, he basically wants to laze around and sleep. Ah well, that gives us less things to worry about." She said.

"I'm not worried about him, I'm worried about Naruto." Sasuke began. "Do you think that I should have tried to stop him? After all, I saw the roads when I was out there and it was pretty bad." He told her.

"Oh come on Sasuke, you worry too much. It's just around the corner. I'm sure that Naruto will be back here annoying you before you know it." She reassured him with a rather warm and affectionate smile, but Sasuke wasn't so sure.

"Yeah." He responded before he picked up Hiro and then carried him away.

 _…_

About twenty minutes or so later Sasuke stood by the front door staring out the window while Sakura cooked their supper in the kitchen. Sasuke took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "Where are you Naruto?" he questioned himself while he continued watching the snow falling from the sky. That's when suddenly Sasame walked over to him.

"Papa, when is Uncle Naruto coming back?" she asked him.

"I'm not sure but I'm really starting to worry about him. He should have been back by now." He said before he turned around and walked into the kitchen. "Hey Cherry can I borrow your car? I'm going out to look for Naruto." He told her.

"But Sasuke you can't go out there! Have you seen what it's doing outside? It's a blizzard." She told him.

"Exactly. And Naruto's out there. That means he's in danger. I have to go after him. He's my brother." He told her before a few moments of silence passed between them and then slowly Sakura nodded in realization.

"Okay Sasuke. Just be careful. I love you and I expect you and Naruto to come back home in one piece safe and sound." She told him.

"I love you too. And we will. I promise you that." He told her before he walked over to her and tilted her chin back before giving her a slow and passionate kiss on the lips and then took his car keys off the kitchen counter.

Sasame started racing after him as he headed towards the front door and burst into tears. "Wait Papa! No! Don't go!" she sobbed before Sasuke turned to her and then squatted down in front of her. "You just can't go and leave us so close to Christmas!" she cried while quickly shaking her head at him.

"What if you and Uncle Naruto never come back?" she questioned him while tears spilled out of her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Sasuke placed a tender hand to her cheek and rubbed away her tears away with his thumb.

"We will." He assured her. "Listen, I understand you're upset but you just have to trust me and have faith in me." He told her before he poked her in the forehead with two of his fingers. "Now be a good girl and stay here with your mother and brother. I'll be back as soon as I can." He told her as she gave a sniff and wiped her nose on the back of her hand while watching her father go out the front door into the storm.

 _…_

"Oh great! How am I ever going to find Naruto in this mess?" Sasuke questioned himself while he drove down the icy road and desperately tried to see in front of him while the windshield wipers constantly swayed back and forth. "It seems like every time the window clears, more snow comes down." He said when all of a sudden he gasped and slammed on the brakes as he caught the sight of Naruto's car on the side of the road out of the corner of his eye.

Sasuke quickly put his car in park and removed his seatbelt before scrambling out of the car as fast as he could. As he hurried over to the car he expected to see Naruto in it calling for a tow truck, however his brother was nowhere in sight. Sasuke felt his heart starting to pound frantically against his chest. "Damn it!" he exclaimed. "Where is he?" he wondered aloud to himself before he turned his head and looked into the storm out in front of him. "Naruto!" he hollered before he glanced down upon the ground and saw a set of footprints and gasped suddenly realizing that his friend must have went to go and find help. He looked up again and saw that the trail of footprints led into the woods.

Before even stopping to give it another thought Sasuke started running faster than he ever had in his life, for he knew that if he didn't hurry up there was a high possibility that Naruto could freeze to death. "Naruto!" he screamed again on the top of his lungs before skidding to a stop in the snow in the middle of the woods. "Naruto!? Answer me!" he cried while he stood there for a moment and listened for any sounds of movement. However, when he didn't hear anything he started panicking more inside the silence. That's when all of a sudden a pile of snow fell on top of his head from one of the trees. As he quickly turned his head to look at it his heart stopped.

For there, underneath the tree curled up inside a little ball trying to stay warm was Naruto. "Oh my God." He said to himself before he quickly hurried over to his lifeless body. "Naruto?" he questioned while kneeling down beside him. "Naruto, are you alright?" he asked him but he didn't reply. "Answer me damn it!" he snapped before he reached his hand down to him and touched his face. He was as cold as ice. Sasuke gulped. He knew if he started panicking now Naruto would die and he wasn't going to let that happen.

"It's alright Naruto, I'm here." He said. "If you can hear me I'm going to get you all warmed up and back to Sakura so she can give you some medical attention." He told him when all of a sudden Naruto slowly lifted his head and open his eyes.

"Sasuke." He managed to get out in a hoarse whisper before letting his head collapse back on the ground as Sasuke scooped him up inside his arms and then planted a kiss on his cheek.

"You're going to be alright. I promise you that. Alright?" he questioned him before he kissed it again and then turned around and started carrying him through the snow.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five; A Brother's Love

"Sakura hold the dog back." Sasuke told her while he carried Naruto in through the front door. Sakura gasped while she grabbed ahold of Taki by the collar.

"Sasuke, what happened?" she asked him anxiously while she widened her eyes with shock and felt all of the color drain out of her face.

"I don't know, I found him like this." Sasuke began. "But I need to warm Naruto up and fast, otherwise we could lose him." He told her while he carried him over to the couch.

"I'll go start a fire in the fireplace." She told him as Sasuke covered himself and Naruto up with a blanket and cuddled him close to his chest so that he could feel the warmth of his body heat as well. As Sakura started the fire Sasuke looked down upon Naruto's face and felt a tear roll down his cheek.

"Don't you dare leave me. Do you understand me?" he sobbed before he gave a sniff. "I need you and I would be lost without you." He whispered. "You're my little brother. And I love you so much." He told him while Naruto rested his head up against his chest and Sasuke softly kissed the top of it before resting his chin there and continued to sob.

Sakura heaved a sad sigh and hung her head. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen Sasuke this upset. "Don't worry Sasuke, he should be alright. The fire should warm him up quite a bit." She told him as Sasuke gave a rather large sniff while tears continued rolling down his cheeks.

"I should have stopped him God damn it! Or I should have at least gone with him like he wanted me too." He told her while gently rocking Naruto back and forth. "And now he's going to die and it's all because of me." He said before rubbing his face and sniffing again.

"Oh come on Sasuke don't be so hard on yourself. It's not your fault. I know it's hard but we have to stay positive." She said while Sasuke kissed the top of Naruto's head again. "He's going to make it, I know he is. Naruto's a fighter remember?"

"I sure hope you're right." He told her as he closed his eyes and gave the top of Naruto's head a final soft kiss before resting his chin against it. That's when all of a sudden Naruto groaned and his eyes slowly opened.

"Sasuke?" he questioned him with uncertainty as Sasuke gasped and opened his eyes again.

"Naruto! My God you scared the shit out of me!" he exclaimed before grabbing ahold of his face and gazing straight into his eyes. "Never do that to me again! You understand me Naruto Uchiha!?" he cried.

"Uh,.. my last name isn't Uchiha." Naruto pointed out.

"Well it might as well be from now on because whether you like it or not you're my brother and you will always be a part of this family." He told him. "Now you still didn't answer my question. Why did you do that! Huh? Why? You nearly scared me half to death! I thought I lost you like I lost Itachi!" he snapped angrily at him.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, but for some strange reason or another my car broke down. And then I thought I had heard something in the past about there being a gas station at the other side of the woods. However, I found out too late that I couldn't see where I was going through the storm. I couldn't find my way out and I couldn't find my way back. So I just figured that_" he began.

"That what? You would just give up and die? That's not the Naruto Uzumaki that I know and love. The Naruto Uzumaki I know literally doesn't know what it means to give up. He wouldn't have just plopped down in the snow and attempt froze to death knowing that he could never see his friends or family again. Don't you get it! Don't you understand how heartbroken we would have been if we would have lost you tonight?" he questioned him.

"I'm sorry Sasuke, I guess I wasn't thinking of that. I just didn't want to call any of you guys and put you in the exact same dangerous situation that I was in. Why did you do a stupid thing like that for anyway and go after me? Don't you realize that you could have gotten yourself killed?" he wondered.

"Yes I did. But that part didn't matter to me. All that mattered to me was making sure that you were safe. Because that's what brothers do. They look out for one another. I mean it's true that there are times where you are such a pain in my ass that I absolutely can't stand you. But I could never hate you, not ever. No matter how angry I get at you or how many fights we have, you're always going to be my little brother." He told him as Naruto cuddled deeper inside his chest.

"I love you Sasuke." He said softly.

"I love you too." Sasuke told him with another sniff wishing that there was a way he could tell Naruto just exactly how much he loved him. However, he already had a feeling that he already knew. Sakura smiled as she slowly backed out of the room to give the two brothers their space. Sasuke rested his chin up against Naruto's head once again.

Ordinarily he knew that Naruto would have fought tooth and nail to get away from him, but this time it was different. Sasuke knew that he needed him right now and he needed him just as much. However he knew that he couldn't hold him like this forever because he knew that this moment wouldn't last forever. So Sasuke decided that he would make it last as long as possible.

 _Alright, I understand that that chapter was a bit short, but it's getting late and I have to be getting ready for bed. Please no eww are Sasuke and Naruto gay? Comments. I think that it's already been established that the love that they have for each other although strong is brotherly love only and I don't see anything wrong with two guys who love each other that much showing affection. Especially after they almost lost each other. Besides, they both have wives, so yeah. That kind of stuff will be uncalled for._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six; Sick Day

A few hours later Sakura came back into the living room where Naruto now lay fast asleep in Sasuke's arms. "He hasn't moved at all since after he ate." He told her as Sakura smiled at them while Naruto breathed a sigh inside his sleep and Sasuke softly kissed the top of his head. "I'll go ahead and carry him to bed and then I'll call his wife and let her know that he's alright." He told her before he slowly got to his feet. "I remember when Itachi used to do this for me. The only difference is that I didn't weight over a hundred and ten pounds when he did." He told her as Sakura giggled.

"Oh I'm sure you can handle it, you're pretty strong after all." She told him.

"Well that may be true but there's no doubt in my mind that my shoulder is going to suffer for it in the morning. Come on you knucklehead, let's get you to bed." He said softly before gently kissing his head again and then carrying him down the hallway. "Thank goodness I decided to add a guest room because there's no way in hell that he's sleeping with us tonight. Not only would that be extremely wrong in my mind, but can you imagine three of us in a bed together?" he questioned her while adjusting his grip on Naruto at the same time.

"Uh,.. I would prefer not too thanks." She said.

"I know. That idiot would be taking up the whole entire bed and snoring and climbing overtop of us. The reason why I know this is because Naruto and I used to have sleepovers all the time when we were kids, and trust me,.. it wasn't a very pleasant experience and it's one that I actually want to forget." He told her with a shake of his head while he continued carrying Naruto into the bedroom.

 _…_

Sakura finished changing into her nightgown before Sasuke entered the room. "Well, I just got off the phone with Hinata and I told her what happened and that Naruto is alright and with us." He explained. "Well,.. safe anyway." He told her as Sakura giggled and smiled at him warmly.

"Well that's good, at least she won't be worried about him." She told him before he brushed strands of hair out of her face and then tucked them around her hair before tilting her chin back with his finger and giving her a slow and passionate kiss on the lips. Sakura deepened the kiss before a few moments later he broke it and slowly pulled away.

"Now,.. it's time we both got to bed. With Naruto in our house I'm sure that we'll be waking up bright and early." He told her.

"You scared me today Sasuke. You both did. I was really worried that Naruto wasn't going to make it." She finally admitted while slowly hanging her head and glancing down at the carpet.

"I know. Me too." He told her.

"I mean I wasn't at first, but when I saw how upset you got I knew it had to be serious." She began before she took a deep breath and then glanced back up at him. "All I know is that Naruto is very lucky to have you as a brother." She told him.

"No." Sasuke began while slowly turning around. "He's not. There was a time when I was a cold and heartless evil bastard. Naruto never deserved to have somebody like that as a friend let alone a brother, but he still wanted to be a friend to me anyway no matter how many times I rejected him. He's not the lucky one. Not by a longshot. He's suffered more than any other person I know. I didn't find him, he found me. I'm the lucky one because he loved me enough to change my heart." He said before he turned around and walked over towards the right side of the bed as Sakura smiled at him while she climbed in on the other side.

"You really love him don't you Sasuke?" Sakura questioned him while she pulled back the covers.

"Yes I do." He began. "Probably as much as I love you but it's just in a different way. Just don't ever tell him that I said that."

"Why not? If you love him that much don't think that you ought to let him know?" she wondered.

"Nah, I don't want to get all gushy about it. It's sort of a guy thing you know? And he still doesn't know that I named Hiro after him for the fact that I consider him to be mine even though he's always seemed to be the one that was looking up to me. I still think that he's wrong about that and it's really the other way around. He deserves to be called a hero, I'm definitely not a person to be admired." He told her.

"Guys are strange. You've been admired practically your whole entire life." Sakura pointed out.

"Yeah,.. by girls." He began. "But other than my looks, name one thing that I managed to be successful at." He told her while they rolled over and turned to face one another.

"Well, you're not an evil rogue ninja anymore and you came back to Konohagakure." She began. "And you have a wife and two children that are crazy about you,.. and a little brother that thinks the world of you. Wouldn't you call that success?" she asked him.

"Damn it Sakura, you're so annoying." He began while he smiled at her warmly and affectionately. "Why do you _always_ have to be right?" he questioned her back while gently tracing her jawline with his finger before the two of them shared a passionate kiss and then Sasuke leaned over to the nightstand to turn off the light while Sakura snuggled her body inside his chest.

"I love you Sasuke." She whispered softly while he wrapped his arm around her.

"I love you too." He told her before he planted a soft and tender kiss on the top of her head and then rested his chin on top of it before they both closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep together. Sasuke smiled in his sleep while he thought about what a lucky man he truly was to have such a wonderful and undeserving family. He brought his lips to the back of her head and kissed her again before falling asleep.

The next morning when Sakura woke up she realized that Sasuke had already gotten up and had left her alone in bed. Giving a few sniffs of the air she could tell that he had already cooked breakfast. After she had gone and used the bathroom she quickly hurried down the hallway and greeted him with a morning kiss. "Good morning." She began. "It smells good out here what did you make?" she wondered.

"Toast, bacon, and eggs for us and chocolate chip pancakes for the children. I'm including Naruto in that category. Speaking of Naruto I'm surprised he isn't already up. Usually whenever he smells me making pancakes he's out here before I have a chance to tell him that they're ready." He said before he turned his head and called down the hallway. "Hey Naruto, pancakes!" he called and stretched his neck while he waited and watched for the door to fly open but nothing happened. "Naruto!" he called again.

"That's funny." Sakura said.

"I'm going to go check on him. Sakura you can be first and get yours and Hiro's food, and then I'll get Sasame up so that she can get hers." He told her before he turned and walked down the hallway and then slowly rapped his knuckles on the bedroom door. "Naruto, it's Sasuke. Why don't you set a good example for your niece and get your ass out of bed so she'll get up as well." He said and waited for a few moments before groaning and rolling his eyes and then opening the door and entering the room.

Before Sasuke could say anything Naruto started coughing and then moaned and started to sniff. "Hey," Sasuke began while raising his eyebrows at him. "are you alright? You don't sound good." He said before Naruto curled up and clutched his stomach.

"And I don't feel good either." He began hoarsely before starting to cough again inside his fist while Sasuke sat down beside him and started gently rubbing his back. "What am I doing here anyway?" he wondered.

"You fell asleep so I carried you in here." He explained.

"Oh." Naruto began. "But what about Hinata Boruto Hokori and Himawari?" he wondered.

"Don't worry, I called them last night before I went to bed. and let them know you were here. I told them the whole entire story. Here, let me feel your forehead." He said before he reached over him and placed his hand on top of it. "You're burning up. I'm going to have to make you an appointment to see the doctor. And since you're in absolutely no condition whatsoever to drive and your car has already been towed away anyway, I'll take you there myself." He said.

"What are you my mother?" Naruto inquired while turning over to look at him with a scowl.

"No. But I am somebody who loves and cares about you very much. Is that a crime?" Sasuke questioned him back.

"No,.. I guess not." Naruto replied before he started coughing again and Sasuke patted his back.

"Shh,.. you just stay here and relax now." He told him.

"But Sasuke, I can't be sick. You and I were supposed to go to the mall together today to play Santa for all of the children." Naruto protested.

"The only place you're going today is the doctor's office. We can do that some other time once you feel better. Now stay here. I'm going to go call the doctor." He told him before he pulled the covers up over him tightly. "Are you warm enough?" he questioned him.

"Are you kidding me? I'm fuckin freezing in here." Naruto replied with a shudder.

"Alright then, I'll take you out and put you by the fire while I talk to the doctor." Sasuke said before he leaned over and lifted Naruto inside of his arms.

"Hey! I can walk you know!" he snapped as Sasuke stifled a laugh. "Besides if I'm so sick aren't you afraid that you're going to catch it!?" he exclaimed.

"No." Sasuke began. "You can't be that sick if you still feel well enough to argue with me." He told him as he started carrying him out of the room.

"Hey! Put me down right now! This isn't funny Sasuke I'm not joking!" Naruto hollered angrily while beating his fists upon his shoulder as Sasuke heaved a heavy sigh and rolled his eyes. "I don't know why all of a sudden you're treating me like I'm a little kid or something!" he cried.

"Fine. I give up. All I'm trying to do is act like the brother I should have been to you in the first place, but if you want down so badly here." He said before he bent over and sat him gently down on the ground. "There, are you happy now?" he questioned him.

"Extremely!" Naruto exclaimed. "Thank you!" he cried with a groan before he turned around and raced down the hallway. Sasuke just simply heaved another heavy sigh, shook his head, and rolled his eyes again before walking into the living room just as Naruto had been starting to set the fire in the fireplace.

"What happened?" Sakura wondered.

"Naruto was having a fit because I tried to carry him and take care of him." Sasuke told her.

"Really? Why would he do a thing like that for? I think that's really rather sweet of you actually." She said.

"I don't know. Don't ask me. Ask him. Right now I have to make a phone call. Naruto's sick and I'm taking him to the doctor whether he likes it or not." He said before he dug out his cellphone and then turned around and walked back down the hallway.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven; Here Comes Santa Claus

Sakura watched Sasuke walk away before she turned back to look over at Naruto who leapt up onto the couch and started covering himself with a blanket in front of the crackling fire. "There, now maybe I can finally warm the heck up!" he grouched.

"Uh hey Naruto, can I talk to you for a minute?" Sakura asked him nervously.

"Sure. What is it sis?" he questioned her back.

"Well, it's about Sasuke." She began.

"Oh yeah, him." Naruto responded with a sniff. "Well, what about him?"

"Well, I was just sort of wondering why you wouldn't let him help you." She said.

"Because all he does is baby me! He doesn't think that I can take care of myself!" he snapped at her.

"Sasuke loves you Naruto. And I know that he might seem like he's overprotective of you sometimes, and actually he probably is. But that's only because he already lost his brother Itachi. And right now you're the closest thing he has to having a brother again. Look Naruto, Sasuke told me not to tell you this but he told me that he loves you as much as he loves me just in a different way." She told him.

"Huh?" Naruto questioned her widening his eyes at her.

"In fact sometimes I think he loves you even more than he loves me. And I know for a fact that his biggest regret was not having a chance to spend more time with Itachi and actually get to know the truth about him. Just put yourself in his shoes. You might as well spend as much time with him as you can because you never know which moment is your last. That's how Sasuke has been living his life ever since he came back." She told him when all of a sudden Naruto heaved a heavy sad sigh and hung his head.

"Gee Sakura, I guess I never really thought about that before. I guess it is sort of nice having somebody love you that much." He began. "I sure hope that he isn't mad at me and that he will stop ever I told him that I didn't want to be fussed over." He said.

"Trust me Naruto. There's nothing in the whole entire world that will cause Sasuke to stop loving you. Because you are a part of his world." She told him while smiling warmly at him. "Just please don't tell him that I said anything alright? He's sort of embarrassed to admit his feelings for you himself." She said.

"Alright I won't, but can you get him in here please? I really want to talk to him." He told her.

"Hold on, I'll go check and see if he's off the phone." She began before she turned around and walked down the hallway and into their bedroom.

"Alright, thanks. I'll be sure that he's there." Sasuke said with a nod before he hung up the phone and then he turned to look over at Sakura. "Naruto has a doctor's appointment at two o'clock. So he has plenty of time to rest up before then." He told her.

"Yeah, about Naruto. Well, he wants to see you and talk to you about something." She explained.

"Really? Alright. Thanks. I'll go and see what he wants." He told her before he headed out of the bedroom and slowly walked down the hallway and entered the living room. "Sakura said that you wanted to talk to me." He said.

"Uh yeah,.. look,.. I uh,.. I just wanted to apologize for the way I was acting before. You were only trying to do all of those nice things for me because you love me." He said.

"Wow. Look who just woke up." Sasuke said.

"It's just that sometimes I feel like you treat me like I'm a little kid or something." Naruto said.

"Well then I guess it's my turn to apologize." Sasuke began. "I'm sorry Naruto. I didn't mean to make you feel that way. You're a ninja too after all and a pretty good one. I mean, you _did_ manage to become the hokage. I guess that I just need to learn to stop being so overprotective and give you your space." He told him.

"Yeah,.. maybe sometimes. But not right now. I just still can't seem to get warm." Naruto said while rubbing his arms and giving a shiver. Sasuke smiled at him before he climbed up on the couch beside him and cuddled him inside his chest.

"Better?" he questioned.

"Much. But I really don't want to get you sick buddy." Naruto told him.

"Don't worry about it. You're much more important to me than my own health." He said when all of a sudden Naruto started coughing again and Sasuke patted his back before Naruto started sneezing and Sasuke grabbed a few Kleenexes for him. "Here, blow." He told him. Naruto thanked him before he blew his nose and then Sasuke felt his forehead again. "I wouldn't worry too much little brother, I think that all you've got is a cold." He told him.

"Well if it _is_ a cold, it sure is a nasty one. Because I don't feel well at all." Naruto told him with a groan.

"Shh,.. you will feel much better if you go back to sleep. We don't have to leave until later this afternoon." Sasuke told him.

"But how can I feel better when I promised that I would help out at the mall today?" Naruto questioned him before heaving a deep and heavy sad sigh while Sasuke rested his head up against his and thought for a moment before he took a deep breath himself and answered him.

"Because we'll take your place instead." He told him.

"What!? I'm sorry you'll have to excuse me but I do believe that my cold has suddenly affected my hearing." Naruto told him.

"No it hasn't. You heard me correctly. Sakura Sasame and I will take your place at the mall and we'll find a babysitter for Hiro." He said.

"But why would you do that for me?" Naruto wondered when Sasuke suddenly looked down at him with all of the love he had for him in his heart shining through his eyes.

"Because you're my brother. And I would do anything in the world to make you happy." He began. "Besides, you were right all along. It's Christmas and everybody deserves to be happy at Christmas." He told him with a warm and affectionate smile in which Naruto returned.

"I'm proud of you Sasuke." He began with a cough into his fist. "I knew you had the true meaning of Christmas somewhere deep down in there." He said before he slowly reached out and touched the part of his chest where his heart was located and smiled at him. Sasuke smiled back at him and slowly lowered his head and kissed the back of his hand softly and gently. Then Naruto closed his eyes and cuddled deeper inside of his chest. Sasuke felt his heart starting to pound while he continued holding Naruto inside of his arms and heaved another sigh before resting his chin on top of his head.

 _"Good Lord what did I just agree to?"_ he thought to himself.

 _…._

"What!?" Sasame exclaimed with incredibility and disbelief later that afternoon once Naruto and Sasuke had returned from the doctor's office.

"Shh,.. Naruto's in the guest room sleeping." Sasuke told her. "Anyway, come on Sasame,.. I really need your help on this." He said.

"So let me get this straight. You want me to dress up as an elf and hang around snot-nosed kids all day?" Sasame began while placing her hands upon her hips. "In a place where my friends go?" she inquired.

"You hang around Hiro all day and he's always got boogers coming out of his nose." Sasuke pointed out.

"That's different. He's my brother. I don't exactly have a choice." She told him.

"Look, I realize that this might give you a bad reputation at the academy Princess Sasame, but since it's for your uncle Naruto, don't you think that it's worth taking that risk?" he questioned her. "After all, your mother and I are dressing up as Santa and Mrs. Claus. And I can't really speak for her, but I can certainly say that I'm not happy about it." He told her.

"So then why are you doing it? Is it the pay?" she asked him.

"I can't believe this! Your uncle told you that you had the true meaning of Christmas inside your heart, but I'm afraid that you have already forgotten what it is. Christmas isn't about how much money or presents you get." He told her with a shake of his head. "Don't you remember the story of the first Christmas? It was in a stable. But yet Mary and Joseph never complained about it because God had given them the greatest gift of all. The gift of love in the form of a child who later on brought joy and peace to the world. That's what Christmas is really about." He told her while placing a hand on top of her shoulder. "Just something for you to think about." He said before he turned around and started walking away.

"Uh Dad wait." Sasame began before he stopped and turned to look back over at her. "You're right." She told him. "Christmas really isn't about the gifts, it's about the heart. And that's something that should be celebrated all year round." She told him as Sasuke grinned at her.

"I knew that you would understand after I explained it to you. I love you Sasame, and I'm extremely proud to call you my daughter." He told her before giving her forehead a poke with his fingers.

"I love you too." She told him.

"Tell your mother that I'm going outside to smoke a cigarette if you see her." He said before he dug into his pocket and removed his cigarette box and lighter and then started heading towards the front door.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight; Naruto's Secret

 _Wow! I got a new follower to this story! Thanks a lot! Anyway, here's the next chapter and I'm really glad you're enjoying it so far!_

Sasuke groaned as he exited the men's restroom wearing his Santa suit. "The things I go through for Naruto." He told Sakura who started giggling the moment that she saw him.

"Oh come on Sasuke, you look really cute!" she exclaimed.

"That's easy enough for you to say you're basically only wearing a red fancy dress and bonnet." He told her.

"You know you could have at least tried on the white beard though. I mean who's heard of a Santa without a beard?" she questioned him.

"This Santa shaves." He began. "You should just at least be happy that my hat is covering up my ear piercing." He told her. "Now where's Sasame?" he asked her.

"She must still be changing into her costume. Either that or she's changed already and she doesn't want to come out. I'm not sure which." She replied.

"Well considering the fact that I can't go in there and get her you better do that and hurry up before I change my mind about this whole entire thing." He told her before she giggled again.

"Oh Sasuke, you're such a good sport and big brother." She told him before she planted a kiss on his cheek and then walked into the restroom. That's when suddenly Sasuke's cellphone rang. He quickly dug it out of his pocket.

"It's Naruto. Damn it! What does that loser want now?" he muttered underneath his breath before he picked it up and answered it. "This better be good. I'm a little busy at the moment." He told him.

"I know, I'm sorry buddy but I really had to talk to you about something." Naruto said.

"Does it have to be now? I'm about to have a bunch of rugrats climbing all over me and that thought doesn't exactly put me in the cheeriest happiest mood." Sasuke told him with a shudder before Naruto coughed a few times on the other end of the line. "And furthermore you should be in bed right now anyway." He told him.

"I know." Naruto began with a sniff. "But this is important. It's about Sakura." He told him.

"What about Sakura?" Sasuke questioned him back.

"It's just that I'm a little bit worried about her. That's all. She uh,.. well please don't get angry when I tell you this but she told me what you told her about your feelings for me. I figure that it's only because she thought that I needed a wakeup call. Anyway, the truth is, I think maybe after you're done playing Santa at the mall you guys should set some time to spend together alone. Because she told me that she doesn't think that you love her and care about her as much as you do about me." He said.

"What? She did?" Sasuke questioned him with uncertainty. "But we've been married for over a decade now. If I didn't love her as strongly as I say I do then why on earth would I have stayed together with her this long?" he wondered before Naruto coughed a few times again.

"I know. But since I've been sick lately with this stupid old cold and you have been spending a lot of time taking care of me, I think that maybe she's starting to feel a left out." He told him. "And I just don't want her to feel like that. Especially around Christmas. She is my half-sister after all." He said as Sasuke slowly hung his head and heaved a deep and heavy sad sigh.

"Well thanks for telling me Naruto. I had absolutely no idea that she felt like that. I promise that after we leave here I'll find some way to make it up to her, but right now I really have to go." He told him.

"Alright, I'll see you when you get home if I'm still awake. And thanks again for doing this for me buddy. I really appreciate it." Naruto said hoarsely with another gigantic cough.

"You're welcome but as soon as we get off the phone I want you to go straight back to bed do you understand me? I mean it Naruto no nonsense." Sasuke told him.

"But you're not the _" Naruto began.

"I know I'm not the boss of you and I don't have any authority over you whatsoever. I'm only trying to do what's best for you because I want you to feel better. So please, do it as a favor for me alright?" Sasuke questioned before Naruto took a deep breath and heaved a long and heavy sigh.

"Fine. You win." He told him when all of a sudden Sakura and Sasame walked out of the ladies' room together.

"I have to go now. I love you and I probably will be back in time for dinner." He said.

"Alright. Love you too buddy." Naruto began with another rather large sniff before he said goodbye and hung up.

"What was that all about?" Sakura wondered as Sasuke hung up and then turned to face his wife and daughter.

"Uh Naruto just wanted to talk to me about something very important. And that's exactly what I need to do with you as soon as we get back home." He told her.

"I honestly can't believe this." Sasame began with a look of revulsion. "I'm dressed up like a gigantic candy cane!" she cried. For she had on a tall and pointy red and white stripped hat on with a jingle bell at the end of it and a white shirt with a red skirt and pointy shoes. "Not to mention I'm freezing in this skirt! I don't even know why female elves at the North Pole would wear skirts anyway! Especially in December!" she cried while she shivered and folded her arms and rubbed her shoulders while trying to warm herself up.

"Oh Sasame stop complaining. Remember, you're doing this for the children and for your uncle Naruto." Sakura reminded her while pointing a finger at her.

"Yes Mother." Sasame began. "I'm sorry." She apologized while blushing and hanging her head sheepishly and then turned around and walked away.

"Well come on. We better get to our spots before the line starts getting long. Parents aren't going to like it and be very happy if we keep them and their children waiting." Sasuke began with a slight shake of his head. "Believe me. I know. I am one." He told her before they both turned around and started walking away.

 _….._

Sasuke slowly opened the bedroom door and smiled down upon his little brother that laid fast asleep under the covers before he entered the room and then sat down beside him and gently shook him awake. "Hey." He whispered softly with a grin before Naruto opened his eyes and then rolled over to face him and smiled.

"Oh hey Sasuke. How did it go tonight?" he wondered.

"Well,.. let's put it this way. I didn't cuss at anybody or threaten to beat anyone up." Sasuke told him.

"Well that's good news." Naruto began. "Otherwise not too many parents would want their children writing to Santa Claus anymore if he got sent to the slammer." He said as Sasuke chuckled.

"I know. But believe me it wasn't easy. I really had to hold myself back. There were so many rude, loud, noisy, and annoying children there that I wouldn't be surprised at all if they all managed to get coal in their stockings. They were even worse than you and that's really saying something." He began with a couple of coughs inside his fist.

"Uh oh. You're not catching my cold are you?" Naruto questioned.

"Either that or I'm finally losing my voice for way too many ho, ho, ho's." Sasuke told him as Naruto stifled a laugh. "Well if you're feeling well enough to eat and you're interested we brought burgers home." He said.

"Alright. Thanks. I think I feel a little better for that at least." Naruto told him as Sasuke grinned.

"Come on, let's go then. And I can finally change out of this stupid costume." He said before he got back up onto his feet and Naruto laughed before racing out of the room.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine; Silent Night

Later that evening after Naruto was already fast asleep in bed Sasuke finally decided to confront his wife. "Well Naruto sure acts like he's starting to feel better." Sakura began.

"Yeah, he is. And that should make you happy." He told her.

"It does. Since Christmas is coming up so quickly I would hate to see him sick for it. Hopefully that means that he can make the Nativity play." She said happily while smiling warmly at him.

"Alright Sakura that's enough." Sasuke began. "I'm your husband. That fake smile of yours can't fool me." He told her.

"What? What are you talking about?" she wondered while raising her eyebrows up questioningly.

"You know very well what I'm talking about." He told her when suddenly her smile escaped her face.

"Alright so maybe it's true. You're right." She began before she took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "I guess I'm just sort of jealous about all the attention you've been giving Naruto lately." She admitted. "But he's sick right now and he needs you. I'm sorry Sasuke, I should have told you how I felt sooner, but I just didn't want you to take it the wrong way." She told him before sighing again and looking at the carpet. " And I really don't want you to leave me again." She said before he slowly took a few steps towards her.

"Look at me Sakura." He began before he brushed some of her hair out of her eyes and tucked it around her ear before lifting her chin and tilting it back with his finger. "You don't _ever_ have to hide anything in fear that I would leave you. Or the children, or Naruto. Believe me, I have already learned my lesson on turning my back on the people I love and I'm never going to make that mistake again. You're all way too precious and dear to me. And I realize that ever since Naruto's accident that we haven't had much time to spend together but just be patient. Christmas is in less than a week and it will come soon enough." He told her as he smiled at her before pulling her in for a passionate kiss.

A few moments later they broke apart. "And just for the record, the love I have for you should be obvious since we had two children together." He told her with a sly grin when suddenly he heard something that made his heart stop.

"Sasuke!" he heard Naruto's shrilling scream. Sasuke felt his heart pounding frantically against his chest before he and Sakura exchanged worried glances and then raced down the hallway. "No!" Naruto sobbed while Sasuke and Sakura burst into the room and Sasuke quickly sat down and wrapped his arms tightly around him.

"What is it Naruto? What happened?" he questioned before Naruto started sobbing inside his chest.

"It was awful Sasuke! Just awful!" he cried hoarsely before coughing and choking over his tears.

"Shh,.. shh,.." Sasuke began while rubbing his back. "Just calm down now it was a just a nightmare." He reassured him soothingly. "That's all it was." He told him softly. "Now just tell me what happened." He said.

"You,.. you went back to Orochimaru. And then he killed you. I mean I know that he's dead but it was still very real and scary to me." Naruto explained as Sasuke glanced up at Sakura before wrapping his arms around Naruto tighter and resting his chin on top of his head before planting a kiss on top of it.

"I know. But as I just finished explaining to Sakura, that's never going to happen." He said before kissing it again.

"But how do you know that? You left us before remember?" Naruto inquired with a sniff.

"I know, but that's because I was a different man back then." Sasuke began feeling his heart beat steadily against his chest. "And not a very good one at that. You helped make me a better man and made me see the error of my ways. And in the process I rediscovered what love is. I observed how you gained all your strength and power from the love that you had in your heart instead of the hatred that I once had. So I stopped being an avenger and I gave up my quest for revenge. Which is something that I should have done a long time ago. And I would have never come to that decision at all if it wasn't for you and Sakura." He told him before giving his head another soft kiss.

"You're even the reason why Sasame and Hiro were born. For if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have married Sakura and we never would have_" Sasuke began.

"Done the hanky-panky?" Naruto questioned him with a mischievous giggle before looking up at him with a grin as Sasuke rolled his eyes at him.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it. Or perhaps we still would have done it, but back then it would have been simply for the fact that I wanted to restore my clan. Not because I loved her. However you changed all of that when you made me realize that there were more important things in life than restoring my clan." He told him.

"Listen Sasuke, you restored your clan a long time ago when you Sakura and I became a team. You just never knew it. Of course now with Hiro the Uchiha name will live on, but what's really more important here?" he asked him as Sasuke just simply grinned at him.

"That's an easy one. Both of you look over there." He told him directing his head over towards the wall.

"Huh?" Naruto questioned before he and Sakura turned their heads and caught a glimpse of their reflections along with Sasuke's in the bedroom mirror.

"We might not have our sensei anymore with us, but that doesn't mean that we aren't still a team." Sasuke told them before glancing up and looking into the mirror himself.

"Yep!" Naruto began before pointing his thumb backwards back at Sakura. "She's still the brains of the operation, I'm still the fun one and you,.. well,.. you need work." He told him.

"Hey!" Sasuke snapped.

"What!?" Naruto cried.

"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed before a moment of silence fell over them and then suddenly all three of them busted out laughing.

"Alright Naruto, it's time to go back to sleep now." Sasuke told him.

"Uh,.. I don't know if I can. Sasuke, can you stay with me until I fall asleep?" Naruto wondered before Sasuke turned his head and looked over at Sakura.

"I don't know Naruto that's up to Sakura." He replied.

"It's alright Sasuke you can stay." Sakura began. "I'll go ahead and meet you in the bedroom." She told him before she turned around and exited the room.

"Alright Naruto, now you have to promise me that you'll shut up and go to sleep." Sasuke told him.

"I can't Sasuke, I'm too scared to." Naruto admitted.

"It's alright Naruto. I'm staying right here. I'm not going anywhere. I promise you that. I promise you that with my life. After all, I'm your big brother now and I have a job to protect you as well as the rest of my family." He told him but Naruto just simply continued to sob while resting his head upon his chest. "Shhh,…" he whispered. "I'm right here and I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He reassured him before all of a sudden he got an idea. "You know, whenever I had a nightmare as a child, my mother used to sing me a lullaby to get me back to sleep. Maybe that will work for you too." He said while he gently rubbed his back before starting to sing softly to him in the most hushed but peaceful sounding voice that Naruto ever heard.

"Silent night,.. holy night. All is calm,.. all is bright! Round yon virgin mother and child. Holy infant so tender and mild. Sleep in heavenly peace,.. sleep in heavenly peace. Silent night,.. holy night. Shepherds quake at the sight! Glories streams from Heaven afar. Heavenly hosts sing alleluia! Christ the Savior is born! Christ the Savior is born. Silent night,.. holy night. Son of God,.. love's pure light! Radiant beams of thy holy face,.. with dawn of redeeming grace. Jesus Lord at thy birth! Jesus Lord at thy birth. Jesus,.. Lord at thy birth." After Sasuke had finished singing his song he noticed that Naruto's whole entire body went limp as he was now fast asleep. Sasuke smiled warmly down at him.

"Goodnight Naruto." He whispered before planting one final soft and tender kiss on the top of his head and then tucked him into bed.

 _Awww,… this story is just so freakin' cute! :P_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten; Reunited

As the days went on Naruto grew healthier and before everybody knew it Christmas Eve had arrived. "Well Sasuke," Naruto began before lugging his suitcase down the hallway. "I have some rather exciting news for you. I think I'm finally well enough to go home now." He said.

"Oh gee, what a shame." Sasuke began. "I was just starting to get used to having you around too." He finished while glancing up at the ceiling and flashing him a rather sly grin.

"Hardy har har." Naruto replied with a scowled. "You know maybe you should give up your drumming and become a standup comedian instead." He told him.

"Oh that reminds me, I almost forgot." Sasuke began with a grin. "Sakura get in here!" he called before she quickly raced out of the bedroom and down the hallway.

"What? I was just getting ready to put away the laundry." She told him.

"It can wait. Checkout what I got." He began before removing three tickets out of his pocket.

"Oh my God! Are those what I think they are?" she questioned before she snatched them out of his hand as Sasuke grinned at her reaction when she read the tickets. "Oh my God they are! Shut up! I'm going to see Spirit!"she shrieked on the top of her lungs while jumping up and down and waving them excitedly as Naruto covered his ears.

"Hey! Easy on the ears Sakura." Naruto began with a few coughs. "I'm not completely finished with being sick remember? Besides, you might break a window or something." He told her.

"Sorry Naruto." Sakura apologized. "I just can't believe that I'm going to see Spirit!" she squealed before Naruto glared at her and started to growl.

"Would you just stop doing that already!?" he hollered. "Besides, there's three tickets there so it looks like all three of us are going." He added.

"Naruto's right." Sasuke began. "Only we're not just _going_ to the show. We're actually going to be _in_ the show." He told them with a grin.

"What!?" Naruto and Sakura chorused together.

"I talked to Spirit's band manager, and he agreed to let us play." Sasuke explained.

"What!? Are you honestly telling me we have to learn to do a song in several hours! Are you crazy!?" Naruto shouted hoarsely before winding up in another coughing fit. "Besides, we've got to the Nativity play to do this evening as well! Just because it's Christmas Eve doesn't make me a miracle worker!" he exclaimed before letting out a few more loud coughs.

"Relax Naruto, you shouldn't get yourself so worked up." Sasuke told him with a slight shake of his head. "It's not good for your body when you're sick."

"Alright Sasuke, do me a favor and explain to me how on earth I'm supposed to do that when I already know that there's no way that we're going to have time to rehearse!" he exclaimed.

"If you just calm down and trust me we can make it happen. I'm sorry I guess I should have told you guys sooner." He apologized.

"Ya think!?" Naruto squeaked before giving a few more coughs into his fist.

"Well at first I just wanted it to be a surprise, but then you got sick and I knew that we couldn't practice anyway." Sasuke told him.

"Oh." Naruto replied.

"Look I realize it's going to be tough, but we can do this. I know we can. Because we're a team and Kakashi did always teach us the importance of teamwork. And I believe that he would have had faith in us too." Sasuke said as Sakura grinned proudly and nodded.

"You're right Sasuke and I'm in! Sasame can always watch Hiro for us." She said as Sasuke grinned back at her and nodded.

"Good. I'm glad." He began before he turned his head and looked back over at Naruto. "Well Naruto?" he inquired.

"I still say this is nuts." Naruto began. "But since you're my brother,.. I guess I'll do it for you. And miss banshee of course." He finished while pointing his thumb back at Sakura as Sakura growled.

"Oh yeah? Why don't you say that to my face!?" she hollered as Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"You know, I think you both act more like brother and sister than you even realize. And a lot of the time it seems like I'm more of your babysitter than a husband and brother." He told them before he turned around and walked away.

 _….._

"Boy, I'm glad that Naruto was finally able to get your car fixed Sasuke." Sakura told him later on that night while he was driving them to the church.

"Yeah me too. And I'm glad that Naruto got his fixed as well and that he's well enough to drive again." Sasuke told her.

"This will be the first time that he's seen Hinata in days. I'm sure that she'll be happy to see him." She said.

"Yeah, and so will Boruto, Sasame, and Hokori." Sasuke said before he pulled into the parking lot of the church while his snowy wet boots made an annoying squeaking sound against the pedals. "Holy sh_" he began.

"Sasuke!" Sakura snapped angrily due to the fact that they had a toddler with them in the backseat.

"Cow." Sasuke quickly corrected himself. "Anyway, there's an awful lot of people here tonight." He said while he pulled into a parking spot and then pulled the gearshift back into park.

"Well it's Christmas Eve silly what did you expect?" Sakura questioned him throwing her hands up in the air while he took his foot off of the brake and turned off the engine that also shut off the Christmas music that they had been listening to.

"Come on, let's go." He told her before he threw his seatbelt off and turned his head and watched out the window. "And it looks like Naruto just got here as well." He said. "That's him pulling in now and parking beside us." He told her.

"Oh yeah, it is. Now he doesn't actually have a part does he?" she wondered.

"No,.. he's just reading the story out of the Bible." Sasuke told her.

"Well, this is it, here we go stepping out into the cold once again." She said before everybody climbed out of the car.

"Hey." Sasuke began with a grin before slamming his door tightly shut behind him. "You made it in perfect timing. We just got here ourselves." He said before he sat down on the hood of his car and dug out his box of cigarettes.

"I noticed. So where's Hinata?" Naruto questioned him.

"I don't know, beats me." Sasuke began with a shrug. "Like I said, we just got here ourselves." He told him while he stuck a cigarette inside his mouth and grabbed his lighter with the other hand.

"Uh excuse me but you really don't have time for a smoke. You've got to get changed. You're playing Joseph remember? And I'm pretty sure that he wouldn't have been smoking a cigarette even if they had them back then because of the fact that he wouldn't have done that around a baby." Naruto told him.

"Relax, I'll be in soon." Sasuke said before blowing a puff of smoke out of his mouth.

"Yeah, if you don't turn into an ice sculpture first." Naruto told him. "And you're the one who thinks I'm strange when you're out here smoking a cigarette in this freezing weather?" he questioned him with uncertainty.

"It's above freezing. It was thirty-eight degrees the last time I checked." Sasuke replied.

"Whatever close enough. I'm going inside because unlike you I'm not all that interested in becoming Frosty the Snowman. And you don't even have a hat or gloves on! If you want to freeze your ass of though be my guest, as for me I'm going inside!" Naruto exclaimed with a roll of his eyes as he started walking a crossed the parking lot before Sasuke burst out laughing.

"Hey Naruto, is Sasuke coming?" Sakura asked him as she met him by the doors of the church.

"Yeah, for some strange reason beyond the realm of my understanding he's smoking out there and he's not even shivering either." He told her before he coughed a few times inside his fist. "Boy, I sure hope that I can get through this reading tonight without losing my voice. Then it would make it more like a comedy than an accurate telling." He said when all of a sudden he heard a familiar voice.

"Naruto!" Naruto's face grew wide with excitement before he turned around and saw his wife running towards him.

"Hinata!" he exclaimed excitedly as Sakura smiled at them while they started racing towards each other before Naruto gently lifted her off the ground and spun her around. "I missed you so much." He told her before placing her back on the ground and then he smiled warmly at her before they drew their faces in towards on another's and kissed each other passionately.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven; The Heart of Christmas

"I missed you too Naruto." Hinata began. "But why did you stay away for so long?" she wondered. "I was starting to get really worried about you."

"Naruto always worries me." Sakura interjected but Naruto just simply ignored her.

"I know, and I'm sorry Hinata but Sasuke was doing such a good job of taking care of me that I really didn't want to leave. Besides, I didn't want to get you and the kids sick." He explained.

"Oh I see, where is Sasuke?" Hinata asked him.

"He's outside. And that idiot better get his ah_" he began while pointing his thumb back at the door.

"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed before placing her hands upon her hips and pointing a finger at him. "You can't swear in church!" she snapped.

"Why not? You guys did when you got married remember? You swore on your vows that you would be together forever until death parted you." Naruto told her.

"That's different. I was talking about the use of profanity." She said when all of a sudden Sasuke came inside and Naruto stuck his tongue out at her.

"Uh oh, what are you guys fighting about now? Or do I even want to know?" he questioned them.

"Sakura is such a dumb know-it-all!" Naruto exclaimed while pointing over at her before Sasuke laughed.

"First of all that's an oxymoron." He began.

"Hey! Who exactly are you calling a moron!?" he hollered before starting to cough again.

"Settle down Naruto. An oxymoron just means that you're saying something that contradicts the other thing you said." Sakura told him before he rolled his eyes and threw his arms into the air.

"I rest my case." He said before he folded his arms and turned his back towards her.

"Alright,.. that does it." Sasuke began before he grabbed ahold of his arm and dragged him away.

"Hey!" Naruto hollered while Sasuke dragged him a crossed the room before bringing him into a corner and finally let go of him.

"Look, you already know perfectly well that I love you and Sakura with all of my heart. But this bickering between each other really needs to stop. You two have been going at it all day." He scolded.

"So!? We're brother and sister we're supposed to fight! Besides, you and I fight all the time!" Naruto hollered while pointing a finger at him.

"That's different. Don't remember the story you're reading tonight? The story of Christmas is all about peace on earth and good will toward men. All I'm asking is that none of us fight with each other until after Christmas." He told him. "After all, how can we tell the story of the Nativity if we don't really know it or follow it ourselves." He explained before Naruto took a deep breath and sighed heavily while starting to look down at the floor.

"You're right. I really hate to admit it but you are." He told him before turning his head and glancing over at Sakura. "Hey listen, I'll be right back. There's something that I have to do." He told him before he turned around and hurried back over to Sakura while Sasuke smiled as he watched him. "Hey Sakura listen." He began before Sakura quickly whirled around to face him. "We really shouldn't be fighting on Christmas Eve." He told her.

"I know Naruto you're right. I was just thinking about that. The whole entire reason that Jesus was born in the first place besides becoming the ultimate sacrifice was to teach us things like how to love one another and treat each other fairly. I'm sorry." She apologized while slowly hanging her head.

"Me too." Naruto began. "I really do love you you know." He told her.

"I know." She responded before they both wrapped their arms around each other tightly and embraced. "And I love you too. Of course," she began while glancing over at her husband while he started walking back over to them. " _nobody_ could possibly ever love you as much as Sasuke does." She told him before they broke out of the embrace.

"I know. He risked his life to save mine. I never knew that I could ever have a friend like that. And somebody that loves me that much." He said.

"Well, now you do." Sasuke told him. "I love you both and your children more than you possibly could ever know." He told them.

"You must to have to put up with us all the time." Sakura said.

"Hm." Sasuke began with a grin. "You're the easy one. Naruto's the one who is a bit of a handful. Can't live with him, but at the same time I can't live without him either." He said smiling down at him.

"Hm. And don't you forget it either." Naruto told him while turning to him with a grin. "Well come on guys, we better go get in our costumes before it gets too late. Well, actually I don't but you do." He told him before all three of them turned around and started walking away together. That's when suddenly they ran into Boruto already dressed in his shepherd's outfit and they stopped in front of him. "Hey what are you doing here, you're supposed to be gathering up all of the animals together remember?" he questioned his son before he gave a nervous chuckle.

"Uh yeah, about that." He began while his cheeks blushed beet red.

"Uh oh. What happened?" Sakura asked him reluctantly.

"Well,.. we have a little donkey situation." He said while slowly taking a step backwards.

"That's it Boruto what did you do!?" Sakura cried.

"I,.. err,.. uh,.. I lost the donkey. He ran away and I don't know where he is." He explained.

"What!? How can you lose a donkey?" Sasuke questioned him while raising his eyebrows at him. "I would think that it would be a very difficult thing to do." He said.

"Alright, this is how we're going to handle this. We'll split up. Sasuke and Sakura you search the back of the church and Boruto and I will search the front. He couldn't have gotten too far." Naruto said before Sasuke and Sakura nodded slightly at him.

"Right." Sakura said before Sasuke took her by the hand and they ran in the opposite direction of Naruto and Boruto.

"Wait a second, something just occurred to me." Sasuke began. "What are we supposed to do to catch this thing if we do happen to find him?" he wondered.

"I don't know. Pray for a miracle I guess." Sakura replied before they raced outside through the doors of the church. That's when all of a sudden the donkey galloped out in front of them. The next thing they knew Boruto raced around the corner after it.

"Wait a minute! Come back here you dumb ass!" he hollered before Sasuke and Sakura turned to look at each other and then suddenly busted out laughing.

 _…._

Well eventually Naruto was able to throw a lasso around the donkey and led it back into the stable area. Sasuke and Sakura (playing Joseph and Mary) knelt down in front of the manger with their hands folded where Sasame's old baby doll lay. She stood behind Naruto (playing the angel) while Boruto and Hokori (playing the shepherds) stood on either side of him while he read out of the Bible.

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round them and they were sore afraid. And the angel said to them,.." he read before Sasame interjected.

"Fear not! For behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign onto you, ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." She said before Naruto continued to read.

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising God and saying glory to God in the highest and peace on earth and good will toward men." He finished reading before he gave a nod over to three more people that were playing the wise men and who knelt down in front of the manger and presented the baby Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. That's when suddenly a heavenly choir sounded in the background and out a sheer coincidence, Naruto glanced up at the sky as the moonlight shone down on the stable and gasped out of amazement and smiled. It was a true Christmas miracle.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve; The Show Must Go On

 _This is the second last chapter, but sorry it's so late. There was an accident and everything I typed just got deleted. :/ So anyway, it might not be like it was originally meant to be, but what can I say? I tried my best. So I really hope that you enjoy it and Happy Valentine's Day Naruto! should be posted sometime tomorrow._

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata and their families headed towards the parking lot together. "Well I'm freezing my ass off, but I have to admit that it was a rather good show." Sasuke began with a grin while glancing over at Naruto.

"Yep, and now it's time to get Sasame and Hiro back home." Naruto began. "Luckily for us Hinata has volunteered to be the one to do it." He finished.

"Aw,.. Uncle Naruto, why can't we come along with you?" Sasame whined.

"Because it would be way past your bedtime by the time we got home." Her mother told her.

"That's right and it's an hour from here." Her father began. "But it will be on television tomorrow night so you'll still be able to see it." he told her before he turned his head and gestured Naruto to get behind his car. "Hey Naruto, before we go to the show, there's something that I have to talk to you about." He said.

"Sure Sasuke." Naruto began before he followed him around it and then two boys turned to face each other. "What is it?" he wondered before Sasuke slowly turned his head and looked away from him avoiding his eye contact.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but,.." he began.

"But what?" Naruto questioned him eagerly before he took a deep breath and sighed heavily while he turned back to look at him.

"But it would mean the world to Sakura and I if you spent Christmas morning with us. And I'm sure that the children would love it too. What I'm trying to say is that you can stay one more night if you want to." He told him when suddenly Naruto's face lit up with excitement.

"Really Sasuke!?" Naruto exclaimed. "I can!?" he questioned him eagerly. "I can't believe what I'm hearing!" he cried.

" _You_ can't believe it? I can hardly believe it either." Sasuke began. "And I'm not saying that because It's not true, I'm saying that because as you already might have noticed, I'm not so good when it comes to my emotions." He told him.

"Well I don't know about that, I think you're actually pretty good at showing me how much you love me actually. Especially if you're willing to put up with me for another night. And the way that you're always sticking your neck out for me." Naruto said.

"Well I have to, you're my brother. And I already know that you would do the same for me because you already did. You never gave up on me Naruto, not once. Even after I told you to." Sasuke said.

"Well that's what friends and brothers are for, and when it comes to friends, you're the best friend I ever had." Naruto told him while smiling warmly at him before Sasuke returned it.

"And you're mine too." He told him before Naruto grinned and stuck his thumb up in the air in front of his face.

"Besides, I never go back on my word remember? Believe it!" he exclaimed with a mischievous giggle before Sasuke chuckled.

"I can't believe that you're still using that idiotic catchphrase of yours. You never change do you Naruto?" he questioned him.

"Nope! You don't have to worry about a thing there." Naruto said before coughing into his fist and then scratching his head afterwards.

"Good." Sasuke began with a grin. "Don't." he told him.

"I won't I promise. I love you Sasuke." Naruto began before he slowly reached his hand out towards him.

"I love you too." Sasuke replied before they both smiled at each other and their hands met while they clutched onto each other's fingers like they had done when they were kids. A few moments of silence fell before they finally let go. "So I take it that means you're staying then." He said.

"Are you kidding!? You couldn't stop me if you tried! This is going to be the best Christmas ever! I'll go ahead and meet you at the stadium!" Naruto exclaimed before racing over towards his car. "Oh and Sasuke here, you might need these." He told him before he tossed his car keys over to him.

"Hey! What were you doing with my car keys?" Sasuke questioned him.

"Sorry, I grabbed them along with mine by mistake." Naruto apologized before he unlocked his car and climbed inside the driver's seat. Sasuke just simply groaned, shook his head, and rolled his eyes.

"Oh Naruto." He said before Sakura walked over to him as Naruto turned on the engine and started backing out of his parking spot.

"Are you ready to go Sasuke?" she asked him.

"Yeah. I just need to turn on the engine for a few minutes to warm up the car. I also need to get gas on the way." He replied before he pushed the unlock button on his keychain and started walking towards the front of the car.

 _.…._

"God damn it!" Sasuke hollered before he slammed on the brakes again.

"I sure hope that we'll get there on time." Sakura said.

"I had no idea that there would be so much fuckin traffic on Christmas Eve." Sasuke said before he stepped on the gas pedal and accelerated a few feet before quickly hitting the brakes again.

"Well hopefully we'll get going again soon. We don't have that much longer to go and since Naruto left before us he might actually be there by now." Sakura told him before Sasuke's foot squeaked a little bit again as he stomped back onto the gas.

"I sure hope so." He told her. Although they spent the next ten to fifteen minutes stopping and starting, finally Sasuke was able to continue driving down the highway. About five minutes later her slowed down again and turned off onto the exit. Naruto was extremely happy and excited to see them as he met them backstage.

"What the hell took you guys so long!?" he hollered.

"Sorry, traffic backup." Sakura told him.

"Well anyway, we're about to go on stage. Riku Adachi is about to announce us." He told them.

"Riku? Is that the guy with the blue hair?" Sasuke wondered.

"Yep that's him!" Sakura squealed excitedly.

"Now don't start shrieking again Sakura." Naruto began. "Somebody will think that you're being murdered again or something. And besides we don't have time for that."

"I don't get to say this much but Naruto's right." Sasuke began.

"Come on guys let's gather together and pray." Naruto said.

"I don't pray much." Sasuke told him.

"I know but I actually think that it's a really good idea Sasuke." Sakura told him before he took a deep breath and sighed heavily.

"Fine." He agreed reluctantly before he took her hand and then offered his other hand to Naruto. "Here." He said before he quickly grabbed ahold of it and then all three of them closed their eyes and bowed their heads.

"Heavenly Father we become before you tonight Lord on this Christmas Eve to just say thank you for sending your Son Jesus into this world to die for our sins and bringing all three of us together tonight. Give us the strength and the courage to go out there and face the crowd as we sing the praises of the birth of our Savior so that they may to come to know Him as well. And also, let us feel the presence of our sensei Kakashi who we know is right there with you right now watching over us. This we ask in your name, amen." Naruto prayed.

"Amen." Sasuke responded before they opened their eyes and bumped their fists together side to side and bottom to top before they brought each other into a tight brotherly hug.

"Alright. Now let's get out there and show them what we're made of!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly.

"Ladies and gentleman,.. Sasuke Uchiha and the Shinobi's!" Riku announced into the microphone before he stepped aside and presented all three of them to the screaming cheering crowd as they climbed onto the stage and walked out into the spotlight.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen; An Uchiha Christmas

Naruto gulped and suddenly felt his body become frozen solid. "Uh oh." Sasuke said to himself while turning his head to look back at him.

"Uh,.. I changed my mind." Naruto began nervously while slowly backing away. "I don't want to do this." He said before he turned around and darted off of the stage.

"Oh no! What are we going to do without Naruto? He's supposed to be playing the keyboard for this song!" Sakura exclaimed but Sasuke just simply touched her gently upon her shoulder.

"Relax, I've got this. This is a job for a big brother to handle." He told her before he turned around and sped away after Naruto. "Hey Naruto wait up!" he exclaimed before he finally caught up with him behind the stage. "What's the matter?" he asked him out of concern.

"I can't do this Sasuke! I didn't know that there would be so many people out there!" he cried before he squatted down and covered his head. "And I'm scared." He admitted.

"Hey,.. it's okay." Sasuke began. "I know you can do it. You made a promise to yourself and to me and Sakura that you would. And that's your ninja way right? You never go back on your word." He said before he gently grabbed ahold of his chin and tilted it back to look up at him. "Besides, I have faith you,.. brother." He told him while gazing at him lovingly in the eyes.

"Really?" Naruto questioned him.

"Would I ever lie to you?" he questioned him back. "Just pretend the rest of the audience isn't even there and that it's just the three of us making music and having fun." He told him with a grin.

"Sasuke! Sasuke! Sasuke!" the crowd chanted in the background before they continued screaming and cheering.

"You better go buddy, they're waiting for you." Naruto told him while Sasuke squatted down next to him.

"Aw that's alright let em' wait." Sasuke began with a wave of his hand. "It's just a bunch of over obsessed fangirls who fantasize about what kind of underwear I wear. Well the joke's on them because I hardly even ever wear any." He said.

"Really?" Naruto questioned. "Gee, that's kind of gross." He told him while making a face. "No offense or anything." He said.

"Well I do wear briefs when I'm wearing jeans but I usually wearing sweat pants anyway. But the _point_ is you're way more important to me right now than they are. Actually you're way more important anytime and all of the time. And if I love you, who cares what they think right?" Sasuke questioned him with a grin before a grin slowly stretched a crossed Naruto's own face.

"Yeah, you're right." He told him before Sasuke slowly got back up onto his feet. "Right. Now let's get out there and show this crowd what we're made of." He told him with another grin and a wink before he dug his cross necklace out of his pocket and placed it around his neck and then turned around and walked away.

"Gosh, no wonder the ladies love him so much. He's such a chick magnet." Naruto said with a giggle before he stood up and followed him back onto the stage.

"We love you Sasuke!" one of the ladies in the crowd shouted.

"Marry me!" Another one cried before Naruto stopped and turned to her.

"Get a grip he's already married. And his wife would literally kill you if she found out you said that. And trust me I know, she's my sister." He told her before he turned around and continued walking over to his group with a roll of his eyes as Sasuke sat down behind his drumkit and started speaking into his headset.

"Merry Christmas everyone." He said before a hundred different ladies started screaming and cheering again. "This song is going out to a very special baby boy." He said before grabbing ahold of his drumsticks while Naruto walked behind the keyboard and started playing a few notes and a few moments later Sasuke started pounding on his drums pressing his foot down on the pedal every once and awhile and then crashing the cymbals with his sticks. A few minutes into the song he started to sing in a rather soft raspy voice. (the song was "Oh What a Glorious Night")

Sasuke and Sakura took turns singing the chorus as well as Sakura playing the tambourine in the instrumental breaks. Towards the end of the song all three of them were singing the chorus as well as most of the crowd while Naruto and Sakura clapped their hands together loudly and Sasuke kept drumming. Everyone screamed as the song finished before they cheered rather loudly and Naruto and Sasuke just simply turned to look at each other and grinned before Sasuke gave another wink.

"I knew that you could do it Naruto." He whispered.

 _…._

Sasuke and Naruto pulled into the driveway one after another before finally backing into the garage. Sasuke turned off the engine and threw off his seatbelt before he climbed out of his car and slammed the door behind him before Naruto hurried over to him. "Hey buddy, you did a really great job tonight. The crowd loved ya." He said before bumping fists together with him.

"Thanks, you too. Listen, you better go to bed. It's getting late and we have a very busy day ahead of us tomorrow." Sasuke told him.

"Aren't you going to bed too?" Naruto inquired but Sasuke just simply shook his head at him.

"I can't. I still have some wrapping to do." He told him.

"Really? Isn't singing enough?" Naruto questioned him teasingly with a chuckle.

" _Goodnight_ Naruto." Sasuke told him.

"Okay, okay I get the picture. I can see when I'm not wanted. See ya in the morning buddy!" he cried with a wave before he quickly hurried inside."

"Love you!" Sasuke shouted just as the door slammed before he just simply heaved a heavy sigh. "Does that guy ever really sleep?" he questioned himself unaware that Sakura was standing right beside him.

"He must. He usually sleeps in until noon." She pointed out before he turned towards her.

"But he won't tomorrow. Trust me. Naruto is going to be up just as soon as the sun gets up. He gets just as excited about Christmas as Hiro does. So you better get to sleep too. You'll need every bit of it that you can get." He told her before they exchanged a quick kiss on the lips. I love you and I'll be in bed as soon as I can." He told her before he double checked to see that his car was locked, shut the garage door, and then followed her inside.

 _…._

Naruto laid fast asleep inside his bed while he continued to snore but that's when all of a sudden he woke up and opened his eyes. He gave a rather loud gasp of excitement before turning his head and looking out the window as snow was lightly falling from the sky. "It's Christmas morning." He realized before he quickly leapt out of bed and raced to the window and placed his hands on the glass. "It's Christmas morning!" he hollered again before bursting into joyous laughter and then quickly sped out of his room and down the hallway into Sasuke's and Sakura's bedroom where the two of them where still fast asleep.

"Sasuke! Sakura!" he cried while he climbed on top of their bed. "Wakeup! Wakeup!" he exclaimed before starting to shake Sasuke awake.

Sasuke groaned before he rolled over and pulled the covers up over him. "Naruto go back to bed." He told him.

"Come on silly it's Christmas morning! You _have_ to wakeup!" Naruto cried excitedly.

"What time is it Sakura?" Sasuke asked her before she rolled over and turned the clock towards her so that she could get a better look at it.

"Seven-thirty. It isn't that early. Naruto must have slept in." she said.

"Really?" Sasuke inquired before rolling onto his back. "Then who's watching Hiro?" he said before he sniffed the air. "Naruto, did you make breakfast?" he questioned but Naruto just simply shook his head.

"No. I just woke up." He told him before Sasuke quickly leapt out of bed and put on his robe and then raced out into the hallway before Naruto hurried after him.

"I must be seeing things." Sasuke began at the sight of his daughter standing in the kitchen making pancakes. "The only time you've ever been up this early is church or school and you're not going to either place today." He said but Sasame simply just giggled.

"Merry Christmas Papa, I figured that I would give you Mom and Uncle Naruto a hand with watching Hiro this morning. It is Christmas after all." She pointed out before both of the boys turned their heads and Naruto giggled at the sight of Taki and Chika on the floor with Hiro while he tore inside his Christmas presents.

"Well I see that it didn't take him too long to find his presents." He said.

"Speaking of presents Naruto there is something that I want to talk to you about." Sasuke began.

"Oh goodie!" Naruto exclaimed while rubbing his hands together excitedly. "What did you get me?" he questioned him eagerly before Sasuke pushed him over into the corner and dug a green envelope out of his pocket.

"Here. Merry Christmas Naruto." He told him before he handed it over to him with a grin.

"That's it?" Naruto asked him.

"Just open it!" he hollered.

"Alright! Alright!" Naruto exclaimed with a roll of his eyes. "Geesh!" he cried before using his rather long nails to tear into it and out inside the palm of his hand fell a folded-up piece of paper. Naruto unfolded it and read it out loud just as Sakura came into the room as Sasuke just simply smiled at him. "Dear Naruto, I already know that you'll probably pitch a fight when you get this but I'm sorry. I honestly didn't know what to get you. For how could I possibly get the perfect gift for somebody who_" Naruto stopped reading and glanced up at Sasuke widening his eyes with bewilderment but Sasuke silently nodded at him to keep reading so he continued on.

"For somebody who I love so dearly and makes my life complete. So I figured that instead since I couldn't say the words to your face about how I really feel about you, I figured that I would write you this note instead. You have absolutely no idea how special you are to me. Sure you irritate the hell out of me but you wouldn't be much of a brother if you didn't. For you were always there for me when I needed you even when I thought that I didn't. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have learned how to love again. For after I lost Itachi and I thought that he had betrayed me and my entire clan I built a wall up around my heart because I was afraid to let anybody in it ever again.

However you're the one who changed all that. After I found out that you forgave me even when I hurt you and Sakura so badly, you finally gave me enough courage to forgive myself. The truth is that you're my best friend in the whole entire world. And now matter how angry at I get you know this,.. I will love you always." Naruto read while feeling a lump starting to form inside the bottom of his throat while he continued reading.

"My love for you as well as the rest of my family is stronger than metal and deeper than the largest ocean. And that's why I finally had to tell you. And not only does this letter prove how much I love you but since I couldn't figure out what else to get you I want to spend the whole entire week with you since I know that is the one thing that you would love beyond anything else. And truth be told, so would I. Love,.. your big brother Sasuke." He finished reading while blinking away his tears and wiping his nose on the back of his hand even Sakura had tears rolling down her cheeks.

"You,.." Naruto began before turning to look up at his friend while tears continued rolling down his cheeks. "You really wrote all that?" he questioned him as Sasuke nodded.

"Yes Naruto. I did. And I meant every word too. I take it that you like your Christmas present after all." He told him with a warm and loving smile.

"Oh Sasuke,.. I couldn't think of a more perfect gift." Naruto replied before he quickly threw his arms around him and embraced him. "Merry Christmas Sasuke." He whispered as Sasuke wrapped his own arms around him and deepened the embrace while closing his eyes and resting his chin on the top of his head.

"Merry Christmas Naruto." He whispered back before they slowly broke out of the embrace and Sasuke quickly placed his Santa on top of his head. "You forgot something." He told him smiling warmly at him as Naruto giggled.

"Thanks." He told him and that's when suddenly Sakura started to sing.

"Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth, receive her King!" she sang while the two boys embraced each other again.

"Let every heart, prepare Him room." Sasuke began with a grin in his raspy voice.

"Let Heaven and nature sing, let Heaven and nature sing." Naruto sung before all three of them walked over to the Christmas tree and sung together while tilting their heads back and glancing up at it.

"Let Heaven,.. let Heaven and nature sing! Oh let Heaven,… let Heaven and nature sing!" they sung out while Sasuke grinned and placed his arms around Naruto and Sakura.

"And God bless us! Everyone!" Naruto exclaimed before Sasuke grinned at him and planted a kiss on his cheek and they tightly embraced again.

 _…_

Naruto (still wearing his Santa hat) along with the rest of his family and friends turned to face the audience. "This is Naruto Uzumaki Uchiha here, and we hoped that you enjoyed An Uchiha Christmas! We apologize for the delay, but we were rather ill during the actual holidays so that's why you're getting it so late. Anyway, although it is a few months later than it should have been from our family to yours,.."

"Merry Christmas!" everybody exclaimed together with a wave.

"And a very Happy New Year as well. Believe it!" Naruto cried with a giggle while sticking his thumb up into the air.

 **And the only thing that I can really add to that is don't forget to review! Believe it! Lol :P**


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